Police selection – implications during training and early career

2015 ◽  
Vol 38 (2) ◽  
pp. 221-238 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stefan Annell ◽  
Petra Lindfors ◽  
Magnus Sverke
Keyword(s):  
Police Officers ◽  
Early Career ◽  
Cognitive Tests ◽  
Selection Methods ◽  
Police Selection ◽  
Police Recruits ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Time Points ◽  
Personality Inventories ◽  
Academy Training

Purpose – The cost of selecting and training new police officers is high. However, previous research has provided limited guidance on how to select the best applicants. The purpose of this paper is to enhance the understanding of the possibilities to select suitable applicants by using combinations of four common categories of selection methods, namely cognitive tests, personality inventories, physical tests, and rater-based methods (i.e. interviews). Design/methodology/approach – Using a sample of Swedish police recruits (n=750) the authors performed hierarchical multiple regression analyses, predicting four criteria – performance, satisfaction, retention, and health – at three consecutive time points (after two years of academy training, after six months of field training, and after the first work year). Findings – No group of selection methods consistently predicted all four criteria at the three time points. In most analyses more than one class of selection methods were statistically significant, but the findings did not support the use of rater-based methods. Practical implications – Instead of the common praxis of using interviews, the findings suggest an alternative praxis. This involves using the remaining information from cognitive tests, personality inventories, and general fitness tests that had been used in earlier hurdles to screen out unsuitable applicants. Originality/value – The study extends previous research by including several follow-ups, showing the value of combining different selection methods, and using alternative criteria of successful police recruitment (i.e. satisfaction, retention, and health).

Organizational cynicism in policing

2017 ◽  
Vol 40 (1) ◽  
pp. 86-98 ◽  
Author(s):  
Georgina Enciso ◽  
Jon Maskaly ◽  
Christopher M. Donner
Keyword(s):  
Police Officers ◽  
Organizational Outcomes ◽  
Latent Growth ◽  
Police Recruits ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Organizational Cynicism ◽  
Curve Modeling ◽  
National Police ◽  
Practical Implications ◽  
Over Time

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to examine organizational cynicism (OC) among new police officers. Specifically, this paper investigates what factors are predictive of baseline levels of OC among police recruits and the growth of cynicism over time in these young officers. Design/methodology/approach The data for this study are drawn from Phase I of the National Police Research Platform. Latent growth curve modeling is used to analyze data on 760 police recruits across five geographically diverse training academies within three distinct time periods (first day of academy, just before graduation, and six months post-graduation) to assess the development of OC in new police officers. Findings Several variables, including gender, race, and relations in policing exerted significant effects on a baseline level of OC and on growth in cynicism over time. Practical implications OC is an important topic for police administrators. Cynicism among employees can lead to undesirable organizational outcomes such as low job morale and satisfaction. Thus, it is important for police administrators to better understand the development and growth of OC in its personnel, particularly in new police officers. Originality/value This study builds on previous research and investigates an understudied topic in the literature by assessing the development and growth of OC among new police officers.

The development of moral reasoning skills in police recruits

2015 ◽  
Vol 38 (1) ◽  
pp. 102-116 ◽  
Author(s):  
Annelies De Schrijver ◽  
Jeroen Maesschalck
Keyword(s):  
Moral Reasoning ◽  
Police Officers ◽  
Ethical Decision Making ◽  
Code Of Ethics ◽  
Moral Dilemmas ◽  
Police Culture ◽  
Police Recruits ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Reasoning Skills ◽  
The Impact

Purpose – Police officers are frequently confronted with moral dilemmas in the course of their job. The authors assume new police officers need guidance, and need to be taught at the police academy how to deal with these situations. The purpose of this paper is to obtain insight into the impact of socialization on police recruits’ knowledge of the code of ethics and their moral reasoning skills. Design/methodology/approach – The study applied a longitudinal mixed methods design, using two methods. The first method was a qualitative observation of integrity training sessions at five police academies in Belgium. The second method was a quantitative survey-measurement of recruits’ knowledge of the code of ethics and their moral reasoning skills at three points in time: the beginning of their theoretical training, before their field training and afterwards. Findings – The analyses show differences between the police academies in their integrity training sessions. Some of these differences are reflected in different levels of knowledge of the code of ethics. As for the development pattern of recruits’ moral reasoning skills, the study found almost no differences between the academies. Perhaps this is because recruits already have relatively high scores when they start, leaving little room for improvement during the one year training program. This suggests an important role of the police selection procedure. Originality/value – Previous research on socialization and police culture has focussed on recruits being socialized in a negative police culture where misconduct is learned. This is a negative interpretation of police integrity. A positive one refers to ethical decision making generally, and moral reasoning specifically. The impact of the socialization process on recruits’ moral reasoning is empirically understudied.

Understanding One's Clients: An Attempt to Improve Sensitivity and Morale in Police Recruits

1972 ◽  
Vol 31 (3) ◽  
pp. 999-1008 ◽  
Author(s):  
Joseph Zacker
Keyword(s):  
Social Sciences ◽  
Conflict Management ◽  
Human Behavior ◽  
Work Demands ◽  
Training Experience ◽  
Police Selection ◽  
Experiential Training ◽  
Police Recruits ◽  
Academy Training ◽  
And Training

Recognizing that effective police work demands sensitivity to human behavior and motivation, the importance of police selection and training procedures as they affect human interactional skills becomes apparent. A program of assessment was described. Recruits beginning training were somewhat alienated and possessed no unusual sensitivity to people. Academy training, buttressed by additional experiences (cognitive training in the behavioral and social sciences for one group; affective-experiential training for conflict management for a second group) did not affect sensitivity, alienation, or police cynicism, as measured. The recruits, however, judged the latter training experience as more worthwhile for policemen. Recruits' lack of trust in authority was among the considerations discussed.

scholarly journals Female attrition from the police profession

2020 ◽  
Vol 43 (2) ◽  
pp. 375-389
Author(s):  
Andreea I. Alecu ◽  
Silje Bringsrud Fekjær
Keyword(s):  
Gender Differences ◽  
Police Officers ◽  
Drop Out ◽  
Police Culture ◽  
Numerical Representation ◽  
Exact Matching ◽  
Family Obligations ◽  
Police Recruits ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Representation Of Women

PurposeDo female police recruits drop out of police education and/or leave the profession more often than men, and has this changed over time? Can gender differences be explained by the background characteristics and family obligations of the recruits?Design/methodology/approachThis paper employs administrative registry data covering all individuals admitted to the police academy (1995–2010, N = 6570) and all academy recruits employed in the Norwegian police (1992–2014, N = 7301). The paper analyses the data using discrete-time logistic regression and coarsened exact matching.FindingsThe levels of dropout and attrition are generally low. However, female recruits have a somewhat greater tendency both to drop out of education and to leave the force. The gender differences are quite stable, although the percentage of female recruits has risen sharply. Family obligations do not seem to explain female attrition from the police force.Research limitations/implicationsBecause women tend to leave the police more often than men, further research is suggested in investigating female police recruits’ experiences. However, the relatively low level of dropout and limited gender differences also provide a reason to question whether stories of the police as a male-dominated profession not adapted to women are valid across time and in different settings.Originality/valueThis study provides exhaustive and detailed longitudinal data not previously available in studies of police careers. This study also tracks attrition in a period that has involved both increased numerical representation of women and changes in police culture, while accounting for other observable differences between male and female police officers. Contrary to common explanations, there is limited importance of family obligations and altered gender composition.

Attitudes toward women in policing

2014 ◽  
Vol 37 (2) ◽  
pp. 324-339 ◽  
Author(s):  
Doris C. Chu ◽  
Chang-Chi Tsao
Keyword(s):  
Police Officers ◽  
Police Work ◽  
Attitudes Toward Women ◽  
Patrol Officers ◽  
Police Recruits ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Gender Integration ◽  
Physical Strength ◽  
Physical Skills ◽  
Rule Out

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to compare Taiwanese male and female cadets’ attitudes toward women in policing. Specifically, this study assesses whether female and male recruits differ in: their assessment of women in policing; and their preferred roles of women in policing. Design/methodology/approach – Surveys were conducted with 438 cadets (229 males and 209 females) who received recruitment training at the Taiwan Police College in 2011. This methodology provided a rich sample to explore police recruits’ attitudes toward women in policing. Findings – Although male cadets had reservations about females’ capability and physical strength in handling certain aspects of police work, they supported women being assigned to equal or similar duties as men upon entry into the police force. Compared to male cadets, female cadets were more likely to perceive females as being competent as males and thus adequate for police work. Nevertheless, female cadets were reluctant to embrace women's integration into police work, which might require them to perform duties similar to or the same as those of men, such as patrol. Research limitations/implications – It should be noted that the survey in the current study was conducted while recruits were going through training at the police college. The authors cannot rule out the possibility that surveys conducting under this type of circumstances may result in socially desirable responses. Future study should include surveys with cadets at different stages of their training (before, between, and at the end of the training) to further examine if the levels of recruits’ receptiveness to gender integration change over time. Practical implications – This finding highlights the importance of equipping female recruits with mental preparation and physical skills. The training at the academy should prepare cadets with the required skills to serve as patrol officers to boost their confidence. Equally important is to provide suitable training to help cadets raise stress awareness and develop coping mechanisms. Originality/value – Most studies conducted in the past have mainly focussed on police officers’ perceptions of women in policing. Only a handful of studies examine future police recruits’ attitudes toward women in policing, and most of these studies are conducted in western countries. A better understanding of police recruits’ attitudes toward women in policing in a non-western cultural setting can provide insight into theoretical and policy perspectives related to these issues.

scholarly journals Stress Appraisal, Coping, and Work Engagement among Police Recruits: An Exploratory Study

2014 ◽  
Vol 114 (2) ◽  
pp. 635-646 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mariana Kaiseler ◽  
Fernando Passos ◽  
Cristina Queirós ◽  
Pedro Sousa
Keyword(s):  
Stress Intensity ◽  
Work Engagement ◽  
Police Officers ◽  
Exploratory Study ◽  
Active Coping ◽  
Three Dimensions ◽  
Stress Appraisal ◽  
Police Recruits ◽  
Academy Training ◽  
And Coping

This study investigated the influence of stress appraisal and coping on work engagement levels (Absorption, Vigour, and Dedication) of police recruits. Participants were 387 men, ages 20 to 33 yr. ( M = 24.1, SD = 2.4), in their last month of academy training before becoming police officers. Partially in support of predictions, work engagement was associated with Stressor control perceived, but not Stress intensity experienced over a self-selected stressor. Although the three dimensions of work engagement were explained by Stressor control and coping, Absorption was the dimension better explained by these variables. Police recruits reporting higher Absorption, Vigour, and Dedication reported using more Active coping and less Behavioural disengagement. Results showed that stress appraisal and coping are important variables influencing work engagement among police recruits. Findings suggested that future applied interventions fostering work engagement among police recruits should reinforce perceptions of control over a stressor as well as Active coping strategies.

“Laying Hands” and Learning to Touch and Grab in the Police Academy

2019 ◽  
pp. 446-468
Author(s):  
Brian Lande
Keyword(s):  
Police Officer ◽  
Police Officers ◽  
Gain Control ◽  
Police Force ◽  
Police Culture ◽  
Police Academy ◽  
Attitudes And Beliefs ◽  
Police Recruits ◽  
Hands On

Research on the formation of police officers generally focuses on the beliefs, accounts, and categories that recruits must master. Becoming a police officer, however, is not simply a matter of acquiring new attitudes and beliefs. This article attends to an unexplored side of police culture—the sensorial and tactile education that recruits undergo at the police academy. Rubenstein wrote in 1973 that a police officer’s first tool is his or her body. This article examines the formation of the police body by examining how police recruits learn to use their hands as instruments of control. In police vernacular, this means learning to “lay hands” (a term borrowed from Pentecostal traditions) or going “hands on.” This chapter focuses on two means of using the hands: searching and defensive tactics. It describes how instructors teach recruits to use their hands for touching, manipulating, and grabbing the clothing and flesh of others to sense weapons and contraband. It also examines how recruits are taught to grab, manipulate, twist, and strike others in order to gain control of “unruly” bodies. It concludes by discussing the implications of “touching like a cop” for understanding membership in the police force.

The Pransky interview: Dr Yoky Matsuoka, Vice President Technology, Nest Labs

2014 ◽  
Vol 41 (6) ◽  
pp. 481-486
Author(s):  
Joanne Pransky
Keyword(s):  
Computer Science ◽  
Mechanical Engineering ◽  
Academic Career ◽  
Industrial Robot ◽  
Vice President ◽  
Early Career ◽  
Smoke Detector ◽  
Foundation Engineering ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The University

Purpose – This article is a “Q&A interview” conducted by Joanne Pransky of Industrial Robot Journal as a method to impart the combined technological, business and personal experience of a prominent, robotic industry engineer-turned entrepreneur regarding the evolution, commercialization and challenges of bringing a technological invention to market. Design/methodology/approach – The interviewee is Dr Yoky Matsuoka, the Vice President of Nest Labs. Matsuoka describes her career journey that led her from a semi-professional tennis player who wanted to build a robot tennis buddy, to a pioneer of neurobotics who then applied her multidisciplinary research in academia to the development of a mass-produced intelligent home automation device. Findings – Dr Matsuoka received a BS degree from the University of California, Berkeley and an MS and PhD in electrical engineering and computer science from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). She was also a Postdoctoral Fellow in the Brain and Cognitive Sciences at MIT and in Mechanical Engineering at Harvard University. Dr Matsuoka was formerly the Torode Family Endowed Career Development Professor of Computer Science and Engineering at the University of Washington (UW), Director of the National Science Foundation Engineering Research Center for Sensorimotor Neural Engineering and Ana Loomis McCandless Professor of Robotics and Mechanical Engineering at Carnegie Mellon University. In 2010, she joined Google X as one of its three founding members. She then joined Nest as VP of Technology. Originality/value – Dr Matsuoka built advanced robotic prosthetic devices and designed complementary rehabilitation strategies that enhanced the mobility of people with manipulation disabilities. Her novel work has made significant scientific and engineering contributions in the combined fields of mechanical engineering, neuroscience, bioengineering, robotics and computer science. Dr Matsuoka was awarded a MacArthur Fellowship in which she used the Genius Award money to establish a nonprofit corporation, YokyWorks, to continue developing engineering solutions for humans with physical disabilities. Other awards include the Emerging Inventor of the Year, UW Medicine; IEEE Robotics and Automation Society Early Academic Career Award; Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers; and numerous others. She leads the development of the learning and control technology for the Nest smoke detector and Thermostat, which has saved the USA hundreds of billions of dollars in energy expenses. Nest was sold to Google in 2013 for a record $3.2 billion dollars in cash.

scholarly journals Teaching health education

2017 ◽  
Vol 117 (3) ◽  
pp. 323-340 ◽  
Author(s):  
Karen Pickett ◽  
Willeke Rietdijk ◽  
Jenny Byrne ◽  
Jonathan Shepherd ◽  
Paul Roderick ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Health Promotion ◽  
Health Education ◽  
Life Experience ◽  
Education Programme ◽  
Practical Experience ◽  
Early Career ◽  
Health Issues ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Impact

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to understand early career teachers’ perceptions of the impact of a pre-service health education programme on their health promotion practice in schools and the contextual factors that influence this. Design/methodology/approach Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 14 primary and secondary trainee and qualified teachers who had trained at a university in England. Data were analysed using thematic analysis. Findings The teachers found the training to be a useful introduction, particularly when it was relevant to their practice. They valued gaining practical skills at university, on placement and in school once qualified. They reported that witnessing pupils’ lives in school had increased their awareness that health education is important. Their personal qualities, life experience, the school’s ethos and competing pressures influenced their practice. Teachers considered that building relationships with colleagues, pupils and parents facilitated health promotion, and that health education needs to be relevant to pupils. Some teachers expressed that teaching about health could be a “minefield”. They also discussed whether schools or parents are responsible for educating pupils about health issues and the place of health promotion within education’s wider purpose. Originality/value Few studies have followed-up trainee teachers once they are in teaching posts to explore the longer-term perceived impact of pre-service health education training. The findings suggest that teachers’ development takes place via an interaction between training and practice, suggesting that training could particularly aim to provide teachers with a contextualised understanding of health issues and practical experience.

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